Austin is known for live music, the University of Texas and all things weird.
And if the Ashville, North Carolina-based nonprofit organization Bee City USA has anything to say about it, the state capital could bear the distinction as a certified bee haven.
The Austin City Council has approved a resolution indicating the body’s support for the city’s certification as an official Bee City USA member, Austin ABC affiliate KVUE reported.
City Councilwomen Leslie Pool and Vanessa Fuentes spearheaded the resolution, which augments the efforts of the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) and the general community to ensure protection for local bees and their environment.
“We need to be reminded of our responsibility to protect some of the smallest and most important members of our local wildlife,” Pool said, KVUE reported. “Being a Bee City will help educate our community that pollinators are essential to a healthy ecology and frankly, to our survival.”
Austin applied for certification two years ago.
The city said PARD staff and community experts took on the responsibility of crafting a work plan that aligns with the criteria of the the Xerces Society’s certification program.
Austin seeks to protect bees on both public and private lands.
“Becoming a Bee City is another step Austin is taking in its commitment to protect our environment,” Fuentes said, KVUE reported. “With pollinator populations declining as a result of habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change, this designation not only supports conservation, it raises awareness to the urgency of protecting the species which keep our ecosystems intact.”
A coalition named Pollinate Austin is lending a helping hand in the certification effort.
